Hawaii's travel industry has not been having a good year. Even before the Lahaina fire, visitor arrivals were declining year-over-year. Of course, the fires annihilated any hope of keeping up with 2022. That's why I'm closely following our monthly performance and why I'm excited to see Hawaii hotel performance in October 2023. … [Read more...] about Hawaii Hotel Performance in October 2023
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Big Island Chocolate Adventure
When we landed in Hilo, our hotel room wasn't ready, so after dropping our bags, we quickly got back into our car and headed back out. We didn't have a plan for this contingency but ended up having an impromptu Big Island Chocolate Adventure of sorts. … [Read more...] about Big Island Chocolate Adventure
Intra-Hawaii Award Travel
I know everyone is up in arms over Southwest's most recent devaluation, and I get it - any reduction in value SUCKS. But how do Southwest's new redemption rates compare to Hawaiian for intra-Hawaii award travel? Let's take a look. … [Read more...] about Intra-Hawaii Award Travel
Review: Avis Car Rental Hilo
For my Big Island Bird-Watching Adventure, I chose to rent with Avis Car Rental Hilo. Why? Price, of course. I would've much rather gone with Alamo, which, spoiler alert, was confirmed by this experience, but Avis was much cheaper for my dates. So, Avis, it was. … [Read more...] about Review: Avis Car Rental Hilo
Review: Tali’s Bagels and Schmear
Recently, I had a hankering for some bagels & lox. Since we were in the area, I decided to check out Tali's Bagels and Schmear and Ward Center. This is the second bagel shop that's popped up in recent years, the other being Montreal-style bagel spot Empty Elle's in Kailua. … [Read more...] about Review: Tali’s Bagels and Schmear
Hilton LXR Brand is Coming to Hawaii
No, Hilton isn't developing a new hotel, nor is it rebranding an existing property. Instead, an existing luxury condo-hotel is rebranding, which is how the Hilton LXR brand is coming to Hawaii. But what property is rebranding? Read on to find out. … [Read more...] about Hilton LXR Brand is Coming to Hawaii
Review: Obake Honolulu
The loss of Kaimuki's HeiHo House was a gut-punch to me. There, they served up quirky, unique, yet insanely delicious food and drink, by some of the best people in the industry. So I was elated to hear that the team would be back together at a completely different concept: Obake Honolulu. … [Read more...] about Review: Obake Honolulu
Maui Tourism Remains Depressed
Three months since the deadly Maui wildfires, and things are still far from normal - no surprise there, really. Despite West Maui reopening completely (with the exception of Lahaina), Maui tourism remains depressed and is likely to stay that way well into 2024. Of course, that's only making the situation worse. … [Read more...] about Maui Tourism Remains Depressed
United is Taking Newark-Honolulu Seasonal
Currently, you can fly from Honolulu to three cities on the U.S. East Coast non-stop year round. However, that's changing next year as it seems that United taking Newark-Honolulu seasonal. This is, of course, United's longest domestic flight, along with their longest Hawaii flight. … [Read more...] about United is Taking Newark-Honolulu Seasonal
Review: Hawaiian Airlines 212 HNL-ITO
As I mentioned in my introductory post, I chose not to fly Southwest Airlines to Hilo because of the poor timing. That's how we found ourselves on Hawaiian Airlines 212 - the first time I've purchased an inter-island flight on Hawaiian in nearly a decade. … [Read more...] about Review: Hawaiian Airlines 212 HNL-ITO